Gloucestershire Sport

Athletics: Dursley trio show they are made of Iron in Lanzarote

THREE of Dursley Running Club’s band of triathletes were on the start line for this year's Lanzarote Iron Man.

The race is held in an extremely challenging environment of a volcanic island in the Atlantic ocean.

Ray Williams, Fred Yearsley and Andy Kilby had been training for months for the event.

Rob Woodward was unable to start due to injury.

Unsurprisingly Williams was out of the water first, with a healthy advantage on Yearsley.

Andy Kilby had a great swim, emerging just 11 minutes after Yearsley.

Williams' lengthy sojourn in Lanzarote in preparation for the event really showed on the bike as he came in almost an hour ahead of Yearsley, averaging just over 17 miles per hour over the 112-mile course.

The marathon proved to be a bit tighter. Williams and Yearsley were separated by just two and half minutes with Williams again taking the advantage.

However, the damage had already been done in the sea and over the mountains with Williams finishing in 12 hours, 48 minutes – an hour and 13 minutes ahead of Yearsley.

Kilby soldiered on behind them in searing temperatures and strong winds, completing the event in a mind boggling 16 hours, five minutes.

Williams was 15th in his category and Yearsley 12th in his.

Williams had last competed the event in 2008 finishing in 13 hours and 31 minutes, so this year's event did more than roll back the years.

Dursley's Andrew Truswell competed in the Transvulcania Ultra.

The race on the Canary island of La Palma is 73km long, with a total elevation gain of 4,415m.

Strong winds misled Truswell and it as only as he descended from Roque Muchachos he realised how dehydrated he was and took some time to cool down.

He recovered and whilst having to walk all the way up the hill to Los Llanos, he then managed to run the last kilometre along the road to the finish.

Doing Dursley proud, he finished in the time of 12:37:48, coming 512th overall out of 1,459 finishers from 2,183 starters.

On the same day, Richard Hensman completed the Hereford Half in 01:44:44, 212th in a field of 657.

Mark Waller and Tony Freer travelled to the Lakes on the same weekend to complete the Fred Whitton Challenge with Tony Freer raising over £1000 to secure his place in the event, the money raised going to Macmillan Cancer Support.

The gruelling event starts and finishes at Grasmere, with the 112 mile route including the climbs of Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter, Hardknott and Wrynose passes.

Freer finished in 08:46:24 and Waller in 08.46:25.

The club runs from Dursley Rugby Club on Tuesday nights, with five groups to cater for all paces. Meet at 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start